Most of you know where my home is now – it is winter weather and that means it is colder than most of us would like it to be. You might think this article is about how long it takes to warm up once inside from the outdoor elements.
Actually it is the opposite side of the equation. Think about what you do before you start to do something.
For example: Major League Baseball players will begin their annual ritual of Spring Training very soon. This is their warm up for the regular season. Even in Spring Training everything is about getting the body ready for each aspect of the game of baseball.
Do you workout at all? How do you begin?
Typically you warm up with some type of light cardio to get the heart warmed up to the workout, the blood flowing and the muscles loosened up. It is possible neither of these examples work for you.
Well consider going to a concert where a well known act is the main attraction. There are usually two or three warm up groups first to get the massive crowd ready. Or maybe you enjoy comedy and you are going to see a well known comic. Typically there would be a few comedy routines presented before the main act is introduced.
If everyone is onboard now and accepts the premise that a key to the main event is having a warm up, explain to me why the action of a warm up is TOTALLY lost in conversations where it may be needed most?
- The counter interaction at any location where an order is taken
- The ask for something especially when you hardly know the other person at all
- The manager to an employee when extra effort is needed or more work is required on a project
Of course there are many more and do feel free to go right now to the comments section and write in some of your own – then come right back here.
It is an actual fact that it is easier to smile than not to smile. More effort and more facial muscles are needed to scowl than to smile. How often have you had a service counter person actually scowl at you as they say, “Next!” and then not another word to you until they ask for your money or credit card or Apple Pay. Then no “Thank you – Have a good day.”
OR
A person barely introduced themselves to me at a networking event and said “you’re that coach guy right?”
“Yes, I’m Mitch and you are?”
“Yeah, well how about a free month of coaching so I can see how it works?”
OR
The person who waited in line to speak with me after my speaking engagement. No introduction at all – “Enjoyed your talk and you mentioned you work with people who are highly functioning and they are seeking personal development. You mentioned improving their presentation and speaking skill set. Right, you do that?”
“Hi, Mitch is my name and you are?”
“So I have to give a big presentation in a few weeks, can we start working on it together right away?”
AND
Then here we are the in workplace conversations. Why can’t there be at least thirty seconds of a warm up? There are numerous demands in the workplace. It doesn’t take more than thirty seconds to one minute to have some conversation before you dive into the details.
It is called a warm up!
Now of course there will be those who hung in there and still do not understand what exactly is this all about. Okay for you folks here it is – Valentine’s Day is next week. Try to get anywhere without a warm up. Good luck with that plan.
Mitch Tublin is the CEO and Founder of Wenkroy International LLC a boutique consulting company with a main focus on Strategic Business Consulting, Training and Business Coaching. Specialties include improving your speaking and presentation skills and bringing emotional intelligence into your life and your workplace.
